


Speaking in Petals

by RoRoUrBoat



Series: Pridecember 2020 [4]
Category: Yu-Gi-Oh! Duel Monsters (Anime & Manga)
Genre: Flower Symbolism, M/M, Prideshipping, fluff!!!, super mild angst
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-05
Updated: 2020-12-05
Packaged: 2021-03-10 04:41:37
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,690
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27888451
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/RoRoUrBoat/pseuds/RoRoUrBoat
Summary: Pridecember Day 4 - FlowersSeto isn't much a man of words. But gestures? He can do gestures. Atem meets him where he is.
Relationships: Implied Yuugi Mutou/Anzu Mazaki, Kaiba Seto/Yami Yuugi | Atem
Series: Pridecember 2020 [4]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2035744
Comments: 9
Kudos: 23





	Speaking in Petals

**Author's Note:**

> Day 4, everyone!! I almost didn't get this done in time asfsdgkljihbausvgy-  
> But! I really like this one, so here's hoping y'all enjoy! Happy reading~   
> Also check the word count lol. Nice.

Atem wasn’t used to having nothing to do. As Pharaoh, he’d had plenty of duties to attend to. When he inhabited Yugi’s body as the spirit of the Millennium Puzzle, he was always either talking to Yugi or engaging in world-saving duels. The last time he’d been idle had been inside of the Puzzle. Not something he wanted to repeat.

So, Atem did what any rational, information-hungry person would do once he gained a body. He learned.

At first, it was just learning about the time he now lived in and the history he’d missed. A lot had happened in the several thousand years he’d been away, and it was… nice to catch up. It made him feel closer to being a living person who _wasn’t_ trapped inside of a puzzle.

From his learning about history came an interest in different cultures around the world, which led into Atem’s most passionate area of study: language.

It started with Arabic. 

Atem spoke ancient Egyptian, sure, but things in Egypt had changed. Language had evolved and modern Arabic was the official spoken language of Egypt.

Maybe it was a certain longing for the life he used to have, maybe it was a simple thirst for knowledge. Either way, Atem took to Arabic like a duck to water. He devoured every piece of information he could, spending the money he earned working at the game shop on textbooks and language programs and online workshops. 

More and more often, Atem could be heard conversing over the phone in Arabic. When asked about it, he'd smile and say he was talking to the Ishtars, trying to keep in touch with allies as well as practice a new language.

Atem felt himself laughing more than usual.

The next language Atem took up was English. 

He hungered to know everything he could about the most spoken language worldwide. And, though he kept it to himself, he felt a certain competitiveness with Seto. 

Seto, being the CEO of a multi-billion dollar corporation, was sort of required to know enough languages to be on equal footing with his competitors and business partners. Atem wanted to be on the same level.

When Yugi asked, sitting next to Atem at Burger World, what his next language would be, Atem was stumped.

Jounouchi suggested he stick with English. Something about American music being the best. Atem hadn’t thought about music all that much, but it was an interesting point. Honda said that Atem should learn French. “The language of love,” he called it. Something about how it would draw women to him. Yugi choked on his fries and Jounouchi looked at him funny. Atem just sighed.

Coughing lightly, Yugi smiled innocently and quickly joked back to Honda’s suggestion, “Maybe Atem should learn flower symbolism, if you think he should learn a romantic language.”

The table laughed. All except for Atem, that is, who was more intrigued than anything. He looked from Yugi to Honda, trying to figure out what was so funny.

As the laughter died down, Atem asked, very seriously, “How are flowers a language?” Jounouchi blanched, staring at Atem as though he’d just asked how Duel Monsters worked. Honda turned what was obviously a laugh into a cough and looked away. Atem bit back a sigh and turned to Yugi.

Yugi looked… Vaguely embarrassed? “It’s, ah, just a way that people, y’know, show that they love each other. With flowers.” Yugi explained, blushing and very pointedly not looking at Anzu. Atem snorted.

Anzu, clearly annoyed with the boys at the table, shook her head. “They,” she gestured around the table, “Have no idea what they’re talking about.” Atem cocked his head. Anzu pointed her finger at Atem, and, with all the grandiosity of a to-be professional dancer, said, “I’ll teach you all about it!”

__

Atem learned, very quickly, that the language of flowers was _expensive_. Their first stop was the book store, where Anzu insisted Atem let her buy him some books on flower meanings.

“Flowers,” Anzu explained as they perused the shelves, “All have their own special meanings! They get their meanings from all aspects of how they exist, like color and how they grow.” Atem nodded along, wishing he had brought paper and a pen to take notes with. That’s why they were buying books, he supposed. As Anzu ran through how flowers got their meanings, something clicked.

“Oh!” Atem couldn’t help but exclaim. Anzu stopped talking and looked at him. He chuckled sheepishly, but Anzu made a gesture for him to keep going, so he cleared his throat. “It’s just… In Egypt, we had a lot of symbols. One of the most important was the lotus flower, which symbolized rebirth and the sun, because of how it opened in the morning and closed at night.”   
  
Now it was Anzu who was nodding, eyes shining. “Exactly!” she chirped, “In that case, I think you’ll really like learning flower language!” Atem was beginning to think the same thing.

Once they had picked out a few books with solid details, Anzu all but dragged Atem to their next stop.

The flower shop was a small, sweet smelling thing on the corner of a street Atem had never walked. Anzu marched the two of them up to the front door and, as they entered the little store, Atem felt his eyes widen.

Heavy pinks and reds mixing with vivid blues, as though splashed over a canvas of emerald green. The soft trickling sound of water in a nearby fountain. Despite the humid air settling in his lungs, Atem couldn’t help but feel like he’d breathed real _life_ for the first time. This place…

It was an oasis.

Atem stood in the doorway to the shop for what must have been a few seconds (minutes?) too long, because the next thing he registered was Anzu poking him. When he whipped his head around to look at her, she wore a knowing grin.

Anzu led him by the shoulder into the store, waved to the cashier, and directed him to the discount flowers. Instead of sitting in big displays or elaborate bouquets, the flowers were wrapped in bunches of three to five. Perfect for a beginner to study.

Atem reached to grab a book from his bag, and Anzu stopped him, wagging a finger and shaking her head. “Nu-uh, no book yet!” Atem wrinkled his brow. Was this a test?

“You,” Anzu said, poking him in the chest, “Are going to look at these flowers and _feel_.” Then, under her breath, she muttered, “Here’s hoping one of you boys will learn how to do it.” Atem bit back a smirk.

Atem stared at the flowers. Feel, huh? As his eyes roamed the various yellows and purples and whites, but nothing was making him feel-

Wait.

There, at the back, buried under some small, star-shaped red and black flowers was a hint of blue and gold. Atem reached for them, and Anzu put her hand on his shoulder. 

  
“Uh, maybe not those ones, Atem…” she started, uncharacteristically hesitant. Atem stayed quiet. Had he picked wrong, somehow? “Those red ones-” Ah. Atem flashed her a confident smile, and went to grab for the blue one. 

He looked down at them, studying each petal carefully. They were a soft blue, getting harsher at the edges, and the center was a vibrant gold. There were hints of white separating the two colors. 

It made Atem blush.

Anzu let out a barely audible sigh, and when Atem turned to look at her she chuckled. “I, ah, thought you were reaching for the other flowers,” she said, smiling far too innocently. Had she just dodged some kind of bullet? 

“What are they?” Atem asked, gesturing with his flowers to the red ones. Anzu squirmed.

“Oh, uh…” she cleared her throat, her face some uncomfortable mixture between sad and solemn. “They’re Pheasant's Eyes. They represent sad memories.” Atem nodded. He could see Anzu’s worry that he’d be drawn to them. He looked back to the flowers he’d chosen instead. 

Anzu followed his eyes, and her face lifted in a soft smile. “Those,” she said, “Are Forget-Me-Nots.” Atem grinned at the name. How fitting, to find them under the Pheasant’s Eyes. He repressed a chuckle.

When he reached to put the flowers back, Anzu gave him a funny look. “What are you doing?”

Atem returned the face. “Putting them back to study another one…?” Anzu shook her head, and a smile equal parts devious and amused took up her features.

“Oh, no, Atem. We’re not just studying. We’re going to create messages!” Atem had no idea what she meant. What? 

“I mean,” Anzu started again, “What’s the first thing you do after learning new vocabulary in a different language?”

“Try to fit them together- Oh!” Atem answered, his face lighting up. So they were going to organize sentences! Anzu nodded.

“Yup! And hey, what better way to show your appreciation for someone than with flowers? Maybe you could give something to Yugi?” Anzu blushed lightly at the name, and her sentence stumbled. “I mean, if you think he likes flowers! _Do_ you think he likes flowers? I mean, I’m sure most people like getting flowers, but-”

Atem stopped her, a chuckle building in his throat. “I already have someone in mind, Anzu, so don’t worry.” A devious smile of his own grew, and he said, “Why don’t you get Yugi some flowers, if you’re so curious about what he likes?”

Anzu’s face flushed brighter, and she opened and closed her mouth like a fish. Her moment of indignity was over quickly, though, and a glare hardened her features. She huffed. “Fine! Maybe I will!” Atem hid a smirk in his hands. Perfect.

__

After leaving the shop with arms full of different flowers, Atem and Anzu parted ways, both to practice and study their own bouquets.

Atem spent most of the afternoon, flipping through his various books so he could arrange the blue and gold flowers he’d bought into something resembling art. Hours later, the sun was down and Atem was still working, tongue poking out through his lips as he focused on his flowers.

Soon after, he leaned back and examined his work. The Calla Lilies stuck out slightly askew, but Atem figured that could be chalked up to artistic inexperience. The Buttercups and Desert Blue-Bells, smaller than the other flowers, weren’t anywhere near as dwarfed as Atem feared they’d be. The Forget-Me-Nots bridged the gap between the Calla Lilies and the smaller flowers well. At the center of the bouquet stood two Lotus flowers, one yellow and the other blue.

Atem admired his creation, and nodded. He’d share it with Seto tomorrow.

__

The next day came, and with it, a date for Atem and Seto. Well, not so much a date as a surprise visit to Seto’s office, but whatever. Same thing.

Armed with nothing but a half-decent homemade bouquet and his own confidence, Atem marched up the steps to the Kaiba Corp. building. He nodded to various employees on the way up to Seto’s office, all of whom stared at the elaborate flowers he held. Maybe this had been a bad idea…

No. Atem straightened his shoulders and held himself tall. He had done this for Seto, no one else. And nothing would stop him in his determination.

Before he knew it, Atem was stepping off of the elevator and onto the top floor of the KC building. He greeted Seto’s secretary with an incline of his head and, without waiting for her to buzz him in, opened the doors and swaggered in.

Seto looked up from his computer, grunted, looked back to his computer, and then did a double-take. He barely managed to conceal the surprise on his face at the large bouquet in Atem’s arms. Steepling his fingers, Seto turned his surprise into his usual cocky smirk.

“What have we here, Pharaoh? A particularly unsubtle attempt at wooing me?” Seto grinned. Atem rolled his eyes.

“First of all, we’re already dating, you horse’s ass.” Seto snorted. “Second of all... “ Atem trailed off, suddenly questioning, maybe a little too late, if this was actually a good idea. Well, partially-false confidence had gotten him this far...

Seto raised an eyebrow. Atem cleared his throat.

“I wanted to tell you something.” Seto gestured for him to continue. Atem stepped forward, placed the bouquet on Seto’s desk, and stepped back. Seto’s eyebrow inexplicably climbed even higher.

Atem crossed his arms, put on his most cocky air, and said “What, you don’t understand? Have I really stumped the great Seto Kaiba?” The sound of Seto grinding his teeth wasn’t quite audible, but Atem liked to think it was.

“Give me half an hour,” Seto ground out, focusing back on his computer and typing away as soon as the words had left his mouth. Triumphant, Atem turned on his heel and left the office. 30 minutes, huh?

__

Exactly 37 minutes later, Atem, back at the game shop, turned from the shelf he was stocking to see a mail carrier panting in the door, one hand on his knee and the other behind his back.

Atem approached the man warily. The man, noticing Atem’s approach, straightened up. Atem saw the KC logo on his jacket and perked up.

“I’ve been instructed by Mister Kaiba to deliver a message to Atem Mutou,” the mail carrier announced, only slightly out of breath. Atem nodded. “That’s me.”

  
With a flourish worthy of someone employed by Seto Kaiba, the man produced an ornate bouquet of flowers from behind his back and held it to Atem. To the man’s credit, he only seemed a little embarrassed about his role as romantic messenger for two young adults.

Atem took the bouquet and the man bowed and walked out the game shop, presumably much slower than he’d entered. Atem shook his head.

Inspecting the bouquet, Atem found a little note.

_Atem,_

_Considering the fact that I had to rush-order a custom bouquet, I’d say this is still on time. Challenge met. Your move._

Atem snorted, but a fond smile crept onto his face. Seto Kaiba never did anything half-assed. Atem loved him for it.

“My move, huh?

He ran upstairs, careful not to jostle the bouquet, and grabbed a flower language book. Flipping through, he compared the red and blue petals to the less-vibrant images on the pages. 

Red Carnation. _Admiration, less demonstrative than a rose._ Red Calla Lily. _Desire, courage._ Blue Gentian. _To value another._ Blue Hydrangea. _Righting wrongs and…_ Atem did a double take and his good mood sunk. _Righting wrongs and making up for neglect*._

Atem frowned. Is that really what Seto thought Atem felt…?

Wrinkling his eyebrows in determination, Atem marched himself to the flower shop he’d been to with Anzu. He had a plan to set in motion.

__

The next morning, CEO Seto Kaiba of the Kaiba Corporation walked past a grinning secretary and into an office to meet a gargantuan flower bouquet, made up of a rainbow of colors. His eyes widened and, as soon as his door swung closed, he made an ungraceful dash for his desk.

He had no idea where to start. A bright yellow group of flowers caught his eye. He flipped through the book he definitely did _not_ buy the day before. Gladiolus… _Strength, integrity… You could never let me down._

Seto brought a hand to his face, his eyes wide and his mouth hanging open. 

“Atem…” Seto grinned despite himself. No, not grinned. He smiled. A soft, vulnerable thing. As long as no one could see him… He brought the flowers to his nose and smelled them. Seto let out a laugh, genuine and loud and joyful. 

Atem had more than met his challenge.

__

During their next get-together, the gang congregated at the game shop, lounging lazily on couches and chairs. A bouquet of red and purple flowers sat in a vase on the coffee table. 

It was Anzu who brought up flowers.

“So, Atem…” she started, head tilted, “Who’d you end up giving your bouquet to?”

Atem smiled softly.

“Someone I trust.”

**Author's Note:**

> I love flower symbolism okay lolol. Also I think that Atem and Anzu would be great friends and that's a hill I'll die on. Drop a comment if you liked it or have suggestions! Thanks for reading!


End file.
